38 TEAMS SHINE IN ADELAIDE Adelaide turned on the sun today to welcome home all teams from the 2013 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. It was a journey of adventure and endurance across 3,000 gruelling kilometres. Teams faced adversity, for some such as Cambridge from the UK the challenge was over before it

RESOLUTION of Cambridge University Eco Racing Team (UK) of Challenger Class of World Solar Challenge 2013 (photo credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker of www.sunisthefuture.net)

HI-TECH of Hachinohe Institute of Technology (Japan) in Adventure Class of World Solar Challenge 2013 (photo credit: World Solar Challenge)

began, having gotten their solar cars to Darwin only to be faced with the reality of not being able to compete. For others the strong wind gusts, dust storms, rolling spinifex and sheer distance proved too much. Regardless of their placing, all teams had reason to celebrate their achievements and were given a rousing reception and their moment in the sun on the official finish line at Hindmarsh Square in Adelaide. In the Challenger class, Onda Solare from Italy in their solar car Emilia 3,

made the 3020 kilometres under solar power for the first time crossing the finish line at 4.25 pm on Friday putting them into the top ten. In the Adventure Class, Team Antakari from Chile also made the distance under

full solar power crossing at 9.31am Saturday morning which put them in second place in their class. With 22 countries competing in Australia for the event, the Challenge welcomed first timers: China, Sweden, Indonesia, and Colombia.

PRIMAVERA of EAFIT-EPM Solar Car Team of EAFIT University (Colombia) in Challenger Class of World Solar Challenge 2013 (photo credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker of www.sunisthefuture.net)

China’s entrant from the Beijing Institute of Technology, Sun Shuttle, was welcomed into Adelaide today, having recorded 1398 solar kilometres. Colombia’s Universidad EAFIT Empress Publicas de Medelin, in their solar car Primavera, recorded 2505 solar kilometres; The Jonkoping University team from Sweden in their solar car, Natural Magic Energy, struck difficulties in the windy conditions, despite their damaged car they managed to record 1301 solar kilometres; and the team from Indonesia’s Intitut Teknologi Sepuluh Surabaya in their solar car Sapu Angin Surya drove 748 kilometres under solar power. Event Director Chris Selwood congratulated all the teams saying the spirit of competition is just as important as the result. “This is a truly unique event that brings people from diverse backgrounds and cultures together across the Australian outback. I look forward to our final day tomorrow, with our first ever street parade from 2pm followed by the Awards Ceremony and the announcement of the inaugural Cruiser Class winner,” he said.

NUNA 7 of Nuon Solar Team of Delft University of Technology(Netherlands), Leading By The End of First Day (Oct. 6, 2013) of the World Solar Challenge 2013 (solar car race) in Challenger Class (Credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

Below is the video of beginning of the World Solar Challenge 2013 (Oct. 6, 2013), in front of the Parliament House at Darwin, Australia.

ARROW1 of Team Arrow of Queensland University of Technology (Australia) seen on Oct. 5, 2013, after dynamic scrutineering process at Hidden Valley Motor Sports Complex at Darwin, Australia (Credit sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

ARROW1 of Team Arrow of Queensland University of Technology (Australia) at starting line on Oct. 6, 2013, in front of the Parliament House of Darwin, Australia, also in fifth place of the Challenger Class by the end of the First Day of World Solar Challenge 2013 (Credit: World Solar Challenge 2013)

PROVISIONAL RESULTS DAY 1 of World Solar Challenge 2013

Team Nuon from the Netherlands, in their solar car Nuna 7, took an early lead in the Challenger Class of the 2013 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge and at the end of day one are approximately 633 kilometres south of Darwin. Just 32 kilometres behind at the Dunmarra Control Stop there is one minute separating second placed Team Twente in ‘Red Engine’ also from the Netherlands

THE RED ENGINE of University of Twente and Saxion, University of Applied Sciences-Solar Team Twente in Second Place by the End of The First Day, Oct. 6, 2013, during World Solar Challenge 2013, Challenger Class (Crdit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

and the 2011 Champion team Tokai from Japan, who as predicted, made up time early from 20th position on the starting grid.

TOKAI CHALLENGER of Tokai University (Japan)'s Tokai University Team in third place at the End of the First Day of World Solar Challenge 2013, Challenger Class (Credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

University of Michigan Solar Car Team’s-Generation, is in fourth place by the end of the first day.

GENERATION of University of Michigan Solar Car Team in Fourth of Challenger Class by the end of The First Day (Oct. 6, 2013) of World Solar Challenge 2013 (Credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

approximately 10 kilometres out of Dunmarra with Australia’s Team Arrow showing they can mix it with the elite international field just behind in fifth place. In the Cruiser Class team Bochum from Germany

POWERCORE SUNCRUISER of Germany's University of Applied Sciences Bochum's Hochschule Bochum SolarCar Team in the first place of the Cruiser Class at World Solar Challenge 2013 by the end of the first day (Oct. 6, 2013) (Credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

is in first place approximately sixty kilometres north of Dunmarra, with team Eindhoven from the Netherlands

STELLA of Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands)'s Solar Team Eindhoven in second place for Cruiser Class by the end of the first day (Oct. 6, 2013) of World Solar Challenge 2013 (Credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

just five kilometres behind in second place, the DAEDALUS of Minnesota Solar team from the University of Minnesota (USA) in third

DAEDALUS of University of Minnesota (USA) in third place of Cruiser Class by the end of the first day of World Solar Challenge 2013 (Credit: World Solar Challenge 2013).

place and University of NSW Sunswift team in fourth place

SUNSWIFT of University NSW (Australia) in Fourth of Cruiser Class by the end of the first day of World Solar Challenge 2013 (Credit: sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker)

approximately 100 kilometres north of Dunmarra. Leading the Adventure Class was Australia’s team Aurora who have never missed a solar challenge; followed by IVE from Hong Kong and Antakari from Chile.

For more photos and videos of World Solar Challenge 2013, please refer to links below:

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Keep in mind that the goal here at Sun Is The Future is to speed up the transition toward renewable/solar energy, for a cleaner, healthier, economically more prosperous, and safer planet earth.

~have a bright and sunny day~

gathered, written, and posted by sunisthefuture-Susan Sun Nunamaker

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This post may had been prepared/written earlier than the day it appears, but right after the finish of the Veolia World Solar Challenge (world solar car race of twenty countries, 3021 km (1877 mi) between Darwin, Australia, to Angle Vale (official finish line) and Adelaide (ceremonial finish line), Australia, and thirty-seven solar cars) I had to fly to a location/ country where my internet access was not very convenient (it kept on being disconnected whenever I tried to write). However, I was able to load up various video clips onto youtube and I hope many of you have been enjoying these videos about the Veolia World Solar Challenge of 2011. I understand one of you from Netherland is trying to gather as much information about the race as possible. Since this is my first time covering Veolia World Solar Challenge, or WSC (and only had time and budget for the start and end of the race), I hope these photos I took and video clips I uploaded (and filmed by Mike) to youtube will help to meet part of your need. I promise you in two years (next Veolia World Solar Challenge) more detailed coverage about the scrutineering process (before the race) and events along the race will be included. Please keep in mind that the goal and focus of this World Solar Challenge is to increase greater awareness and education for our future generations in application of solar energy in cars and to stimulate greater interest in math, science, and engineering. The emphasis is both in how far and how fast (rather than just how fast) these solar cars can go using energy from the sun. As a matter of fact, part of the rule this year had actually restricted total surface area of the solar cells to 6 sq m and of which only 3 sq m can be of GaAs (gallium arsenide) so to even the playing field. Facility is available if a solar car needs to be “trailered” when insufficient sunshine is available for the duration of the race. This year, due to the extra challenges of cloudiness, rain, and bush fire, only about 7 out of 37 solar cars were able to finish the course completely using solar energy. The atmosphere at WSC is friendly and encouraging rather than fiercely competitive. One finds this to be true either in the scrutineering process (insuring safety of drivers/pilots and those around), tracking of the timing (please refer to: http://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/files/318_2011_veolia_world_solar_challenge_provisional_results_pending_protests.pdf), or in the finish presentation (ritual dip in the Victoria Fountain by all teams (those that were not too shy or too cold) at the end of the race or not so ritual “burning rubber” of the German team). Finally, I’d like to take my hat off to Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 team for being able to pull off a race of this magnitude (involving solar cars from twenty countries) with mostly volunteers working together to make this race work. Running an organization composed of mostly volunteers is not the same as running a normal company (I’ve had experience in both and believe me, running an organization composed mostly of volunteers is not easy!). So, if any of you out there with good ideas (to help improve the solar car race), funding, or time to volunteer, perhaps you’d like to contact Mr. Chris Selwood (leader and rightful owner of Veolia World Solar Challenge) and/or the organization at http://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/contact_us For the ease and convenience of our readers’ pleasures, there are written descriptions for these solar cars with each of the youtube video clip of the interviews for its team members. So please be sure to read (click on “Show more” at each youtube clip) about the descriptions for these solar cars. I tried to take photograph and to interview as many of the participating solar cars of Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 as possible, but due to time constraint, please forgive me if I missed any one. With regard to all the video interviews at youtube, if any of the interviewees’ names is either misspelled or not mentioned, please feel free to contact me at sunisthefuture@gmail.com so I can make the necessary modification. Below, you will find links to our youtube clips/interviews with various teams and photographs of these solar cars. Keep in mind that these videos and photos pertaining to Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 are under Creative Commons as long as you would attribute it/them to Sun Is The Future at http://sunisthefuture.net There will be more posts on human interest stories and lessons learned regarding Veolia World Solar Challenge 2011 later.